How Much Do YouTubers Get Paid for Sponsored Videos?
Nov 6, 2020Many content creators on YouTube make a significant amount of money. Often, one of the ways these content creators make money is through sponsored videos. But how much do YouTubers get paid for sponsored videos, and what determines the amount of money a YouTuber is paid?
YouTubers get paid a different amount of money for sponsored videos depending on a few different criteria. These criteria include audience size, niche, and the objective of the sponsored video. Sponsored videos for small channels in general niches tend to earn less money than sponsored videos for large channels in high-ticket niches.
Due to the various advertiser boycotts that have taken place in recent years, many YouTubers are beginning to monetize their channel through sponsored videos. This is smart, as Google AdSense revenue isn't as reliable as it used to be. But this begs the question- how much money do YouTubers get paid for sponsored videos, and what determines their fee?
How Much Do Sponsors Pay YouTubers
You might be wondering- how much do sponsors pay YouTubers? This is a difficult question to answer, as different YouTubers are paid different amounts of money. You see, there are different criteria that sponsors look at when determining how much they would like to pay a YouTube content creator.
The criteria that determine how much a content creator is paid for a sponsored video include:
- Audience size
- Sponsored video objective
Let's dive deeper into each of these criteria.
Audience Size
Larger YouTube channels tend to deliver better return-on-investment (ROI) for sponsors. Due to this, larger channels tend to be paid more money than smaller channels. At the end of the day, sponsors want their product, service, or brand to get in front of as many people as possible. The best way to do this is to work with channels that have a large audience.
It isn't unheard of for small channels to get paid for sponsored videos. It's becoming more common for smaller channels to get opportunities for sponsored videos. However, small channels tend to be paid a minimal amount of money. So, while enticing, it can sometimes be better for small channels to hold off on being paid until they are larger.
Niche
Certain niches are more profitable than others. In more general niches, such as gaming, the audiences tend to be larger. However, in more specific niches, like stock investing and education, the audiences tend to be smaller. You would think that the bigger niches would result in more money being paid by sponsors, but this isn't the case.
Often, smaller but more specific niches lead to higher payouts for content creators. Many of these niches contain high-ticket products and services. This means that a sponsor can afford to pay more money, while still being able to generate a positive ROI. This is part of the reason why with Google AdSense, for example, CPMs are higher in certain niches.
Sponsored Video Objective
Every sponsored video has an agreed-upon objective. For example, the objective of a sponsored video might be to raise awareness for a particular event. Or, the objective might be to generate sign-ups to a particular service. Depending on what the objective is, a different amount of money might be paid to the YouTuber at hand.
Generating leads for a real estate investing service will lead to higher payouts for content creators than an awareness campaign for a mobile gaming app. But why is this? Well, this is because in most cases, real estate investor leads are worth a lot more money than mobile gaming app users.
How Do Small YouTubers Get Sponsors
At this point, you might be wondering- how do small YouTubers get sponsors? After all, it's becoming more common for brands to approach small channels for sponsored video opportunities. Should small channels reach out to brands directly, or should they wait for the brands to come to them?
It never hurts to be proactive. If you are a small YouTuber but your audience is active and engaged, it might not be a bad idea to approach brands directly. Just be aware that you need to be able to benefit the brands you are approaching. Brands will not work with you if you cannot provide them with visibility, leads, etc.
Try engaging with brands on social media and then reaching out to them directly by email. Don't just send out 100 emails with the same generic text asking for money. State how many views you get, the rate at which your channel is growing, and the % of your subscribers that watch your videos.
How Much Should I Charge for a Sponsored YouTube Video
A question I'm often asked by content creators is: "How much should I charge for a sponsored YouTube video?" It's a good question. You don't want to charge too little and get ripped-off, but you don't want to charge too much and scare away brands. Finding the correct pricing is key for anyone wanting to get paid for sponsored videos.
Your pricing will come down to your audience size, niche, and the objective of the sponsored video at hand. If you are in a high-ticket niche, such as business or finance, then this will lead to a higher price for brands looking to pay you for a sponsored video. Along with this, the size of your audience and the objective of the sponsored video will impact your pricing as well.
Conclusion
There are many different ways to make money on YouTube. One such way is through sponsored videos. YouTubers are paid a certain amount of money for sponsored videos depending on their audience size, niche, and the objective of the sponsored video. Overall, getting paid to create sponsored videos for brands can be very lucrative if done correctly.